The Bill of Poems
- Greenhouse Publishing
- Aug 13, 2023
- 1 min read
Updated: Aug 26, 2023
By: Ryan Ocsman
The Bill of Poems
An Expressive Haiku Analysis of the Bill of Rights
First Amendment
The home of the free
Gives the rights to do or don’t
So simple to use
Second Amendment
Our brothers in arms
A muzzle to oppression
Firepower to protect
Third Amendment
Within our own walls
No such soldier will intrude
A peaceful homestead
Fourth Amendment
To own is to hold
Our privacy protected
From all those outside
Fifth Amendment
The fruit of silence
No need to expose further
Quiet innocence
Sixth Amendment
Standing for trial
An agent of law to help
Fair and just process
Seventh Amendment
Trial by jury
Innocent until proven
Due process for all
Eighth Amendment
Safe treatment of course
No prisoner to be hurt
Exceedingly fair
Ninth Amendment
The rights not listed
Written words are no excuse
Established elsewhere
Tenth Amendment
Powering people
Rights unclaimed are for the states
People empowered
I absolutely loved this collection of poems. What I think would be most interesting in this work, which of course is completely optional, is a small blurb written by the author after each haiku. I found personal connections to each evaluation, but would find it very interesting to visualize how the author originally interpreted these Amendments and how you went about crafting these haiku's. It would also offer the reader an insight on the complex political standpoint of referencing and amendments purpose when it was founded versus what it has evolved into in our modern world. Thank you for publishing this piece.